The Last Battle
by IAmLostForWords
Summary: A breeze sweeps by gently as they meet on a grass clearing, under a cloudy blue sky. Haruno Sakura, now a ruthless ANBU agent, and her ex-teammate, the notorious criminal, Uchiha Sasuke. Will this final battle finally bring them peace? SASUSAKU (Update: Chapter 2 is up!)
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story. All rights belong to the brilliant Masashi Kishimoto.

Summary

A breeze sweeps by gently as they meet on a grass clearing, under a cloudy blue sky. Haruno Sakura, now a ruthless ANBU agent, and her ex-teammate, the notorious criminal, Uchiha Sasuke. Will this final battle finally bring them peace? SASUSAKU

 **The Last Battle**

CHAPTER ONE

12 hours.

The battle had been going for 12 agonizingly long hours. Within half a day, the two teammates, _former_ teammates, had thrown all the weapons in their arsenal with every single one aimed to kill the other.

Sakura took 3 deep breaths. With knees on the ground on all fours, she continued to heave, hoping to get her respiratory system functional again. Years of training under a Legendary Sanin, spilling blood, sweat and tears, and she could still not avoid his last attack.

The second he yelled "Chidori nagashi!", she had braced herself for the dreadful pain. Should she have been prepared for this? Of course. She knew of this jutsu. She had even witnessed it first-hand when they had found him all those years ago. Back then, she had been the only one spared of the excruciating pain that Naruto, Yamato and Sai had experienced as the electricity coursed through them, contracting almost every muscle in their bodies.

" _So this is what it feels like_ " Sakura thought bitterly.

Sakura coughed and cursed as thick dark red liquid splattered onto the flattened grass of the open field they had been ensuing their vigorous battle on since sunrise.

She had miscalculated. The reason she had been unprepared for this attack was because she had assumed that he would have an insufficient amount of chakra to carry out the jutsu.

Using all her strength, she forced her head to look up, and realised she had been almost correct.

His heart clenched. On one knee, both his hands clutching his Kusanagi to keep himself up and steady, Sasuke cursed. That had been reckless of him. Now he was at his limit. Even as he formed the hand signs for the chakra-straining jutsu, he was unsure whether it would work. But he couldn't bare it anymore. The look on her face every moment they clashed. A look of hatred. Although he was certain the look was also plastered on his face, to see it on her…

Looking up he saw that she was at her limit too. Her bloodied, bruised body covered in that dirty, tattered ANBU uniform, shook violently as she struggled to get up.

" _Sakura, don't get up_ " Sasuke willed her body in his mind.

" _Please, don't get up…"_

After seeing that Sasuke was still up, Sakura had immediately begun healing her body with some of the limited amount of chakra she had left. Just enough so that her body could stand. However to save the amount she was using, she had to endure the excruciating pain that meandered through her body as her body struggled to heal itself.

Oh, how she wanted to give up. If it were up to her, she would have let the traitor pierce her straight through the heart the moment they met. However, every time the thought of surrendering herself to death came, warm baby blue eyes would flash brightly in her mind. A stupid big laugh that accompanied "Sakura-chan!" as he yelled through the streets of Konoha would faintly ring in her ears. His goofy and undeniable contagious smile that he made as he would finish his tenth bowl of ramen at Ichiraku covered her vision. She would then remember the warmth of his body as he gave her the breath-chokingly tight hug the day he left for, what would be, his last mission. And hence, the thing she remembered most, every moment her body pleaded her to just give up and die, was Naruto's cold lifeless body as she held him, screaming, and crying for the first time she had in years.

 _Flashback_

 _"_ _No! Don't you dare do this to me Naruto! Don't you fucking dare!" Sakura yelled, tears falling down her face as her hands glowed green, attempting to heal corpse._

 _"_ _He's gone Sakura" Shikamaru touched her shoulder._

 _"Shut up! No he's not. He's not… he's not…" her hands glowed brighter but she could feel her teammate's skin go colder._

 _"That's enough Sakura" Kiba urged, fighting down his own tears._

 _Sakura screamed. She cradled the blonde's head in her arms and cried until she felt dead on the inside. Sakura died with him that day. From then on, the pink-haired kunoichi was just a soulless carcass with only one deadly goal in mind._

 _End of flashback_

Tears threatened to fall as Sakura remembered the day like it had occurred every single day for the past three years. Unlike now, the Akatsuki were still around wrecking havoc around the world, and had captured Naruto on a mission. They had been successful in extracting the nine-tails from him just as her ANBU team had arrived at the scene. Sakura relived the exact moment when his lifeless corpse fell to the ground. She remembered herself instinctively catching him and pouring all the healing chakra she had in her in a futile attempt to save him. For her, she relived his death over and over again ever since that day three years ago.

That day had been the beginning of the making of her becoming the cold ruthless killer she was today. Before, her hands had only sought to heal. She was, and still is the today, renowned as the second best medical ninja in all the five nations. She had always wished to preserve life, save it, taking it only when necessary. However she realised shortly after her best friend's death, that to avenge him, to kill every single one of those Akatsuki members that took her brother, her light, from her, she would have to change. So that year, at the age of 18, at her request, Lady Tsunade assigned her the mission to assassinate those black and red-cloaked criminals.

And by the end of three long tiresome years she had completed her mission. Her team, ANBU's top elite squad, that at the beginning consisted of Neji, Sai, Kiba and Shikamaru had eliminated all the remaining members of the criminal organisation. Although they had lost Neji when battling Kisame, they realised they had defeated the final member of Akatsuki, after word had spread that Sasuke had defeated Itachi. When her teammates assumed that she would need comfort, Sakura coldly told Shikamaru "I expected sacrifices when we started this". However after their final kill, everyone saw Sakura become more secluded within the village and even more ruthless in all her missions.

A few days ago, Kakashi, the recently appointed Hokage, had summoned her into his office not long after his initiation ceremony.

 _Flashback_

 _"_ _You're overworking yourself", Kakashi said to his former student as he sat at the desk with hands resting under his masked face. Sakura stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall on one side of the Hokage office, her ANBU mask placed tightly on the side of her hip._

 _"_ _I'm fine" Sakura replied staring at the sixth Hokage. After Naruto's death she had hardly talked to the copy ninja. Occasionally they would see each other in Tsunade's office and greet each other, purely out of respect. Other than that, most people would assume they had both been avoiding each other._

 _Kakashi stared back into her dull emerald eyes, once filled with so much light, and let out a long tired sigh._

 _"I've given this much thought and… I'm dismissing you from your ANBU status Sakura. You've competed your mission. The Akatsuki are gone. You've served your village in more ways than anyone. Take a break. Go back to the hospital. It's what Tsunade wanted as well", he softly finished, getting up to walk in front of his desk._

 _"Are you kidding me?" Sakura pushed against the wall, as she felt her anger rise. "You want me to go back to the hospital? To patch up a little civilian kid who got a scrape on his knee? You want me to run health checks on people to make sure that they have a long happy life ahead of them? Do you know what I've done these past three years? Do you know how many people I've killed? The ways I killed them? Now you want me to save them?!"_

 _"Yes" the silver haired former sensei whispered back._

 _"Well I can't! I can't save them! I can't save anyone!" Sakura shouted, regret painted in her sorrowful eyes._

 _"Sakura… it wasn't your fault… Naru-"_

 _"Don't say his name" she sharply interrupted. "Don't you dare say his name Kakashi. You weren't there. You didn't see him. You. Weren't. There", she snarled._

 _Kakashi looked down. He knew this. He knew he hadn't been there. His student needed him and he had not been there. When Kakashi heard of Naruto's death, he had been on another mission in the Snow Country. He immediately abandoned the mission and sped straight home. The moment he entered the village, he had felt it. The air of grief and sorrow that swept the village made him stop in his tracks several times as he made his way to the Hokage tower where a drunken Tsunade, with tears in her eyes, confirmed the news and told him that Sakura was already on a mission with a team to assassinate one of the murderers. He rarely saw his remaining student from then on. Terrifying guilt washed over him every time he saw her. Although death to those close to him was nothing unfamiliar to Kakashi, he knew that the additional empty hole in his heart would not be filled for a long time, if ever. However, he had realised recently that he had been selfish. He should have been there for Sakura. He had assumed that once Akatsuki was gone, she would move on. Find some way to continue on. He had been wrong._

 _"I'm sorry Sakura. I really am. But it's time to move on. You can't keep going on like this" Kakashi looked to her again, his heart paining._

 _"It's the only way I can go on_

 _sensei" she finished bitterly._

 _"So if that's all…" Sakura turned her back, heading for the door._

 _"You are officially relieved from ANBU duties Sakura" Kakashi said sadly._

 _Sakura's gloved hand stopped on the door handle._

 _"He wouldn't want you to live like this", the former sensei murmured._

 _Sakura opened the door._

 _"He's not here" she replied in a cold tone._

 _With that Sakura slammed the door behind her and walked out. There, she came face to face with Sai who seemed have a more distant look in his eyes as he looked at her. Giving her a curt nod he walked into the Hokage office. Sakura stood still, perfectly masking her chakra.  
"The mission was a success Hokage-sama", she heard Sai say from within the enclosed room._

 _"Good. You're next mission will be in two days. Come back here tomorrow for a briefing", Kakashi replied, ready to dismiss the former root member._

 _Sakura heard the rustling of paper and was about to leave when…_

 _"Actually Hokage-sama, I wish to report the sighting of an s-class criminal that occurred in the north-west outskirts of the Wind Country on my way back here"_

 _"Did you engage with them?" Kakashi asked curiously. Usually for a ninja as efficient as Sai, they would have actually captured the criminal and brought them in, even if it meant arriving a day or two later._

 _"No, I wasn't sure if it would be deemed appropriate", the former root member explained slowly._

 _"Who was it?" Kakashi asked._

 _There was a silence._

 _Kakashi looked up to see Sai's serious yet hesitant face. He waited for a response, although having a good guess as to who it was. There had been no sight of said criminal for almost five years until they heard news of the downfall of his elder brother a few months ago._

 _Sakura held her breath. She had the same guess to._

 _"Uchiha Sasuke"_

 _End of flashback_

She glared at the raven-haired man who reminded her of nothing but sadness, hate and betrayal. Who painfully reminded her of Naruto. How he never gave up on his best friend, even after the traitor tried to kill them.

Sakura stood up.

Sasuke inwardly sighed.

She got up. Of course she got up. She was almost as stubborn as his other former blonde teammate. Speaking of which, Sasuke wandered where the dobe was. Surely he would not allow his precious pink-haired teammate to come here by herself.

Although Sasuke had to admit that she had grown significantly stronger since five years ago, when he had last seen her. When she showed up to the clearing adorning the ANBU uniform he had been surprised. She had been wearing a mask. Some sort of feline mask. But as her long pink hair cascaded down her back, and as he stared into those deep emerald seas, he instantly knew who this Konaha ninja was.

 _Flashback_

 _"Uchiha Sasuke, you are an s-class criminal, traitor to the Leaf, and have committed a number of crimes during the past five years, including your affiliation with Orochimaru", the masked ANBU stated as she stood in the clearing ten meters in front of him._

 _"Sakura"_

 _"Under the jurisdiction of the sixth Hokage…" she lied._

 _"Sakura"_

 _"…I hereby sentence you to death" she finished, putting her gloves on._

 _Sasuke stared._

 _"What are you doing here Sakura?" he said softly, yet loud enough for her to hear._

 _"To do what I should have done years ago" she replied, taking off her mask._

 _The fight began._

 _End of flashback_

Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my first ever story! I really appreciate it. Please leave a review, comment, ideas, suggestions and I will especially welcome all your constructive criticism! Honestly at this stage I don't have this whole story planned out. I've almost finished the next chapter. But depending on the reviews I think I will determine to release it as I planned or change it up a bit. However, just know... I hate sad endings ;)


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Battle

CHAPTER TWO

"Sakura" his voice came out strained this time as he also stood up. This was the third time he had attempted to talk to her since the beginning of the fight. Again she only stared back with those familiar yet unrecognisable dull green eyes. What was wrong with her?

Suddenly a familiar pain exploded in his chest. Sasuke tightened the grip on his sword, masking the pain from his face. His heart clenched so badly that he thought, like all the other times, that would finally be the time that this body gave up on him.

" _Not now. Dammit, not now"_ Sasuke thought as he begged his body to calm down. The pain was agonizing. It had been becoming more of a regular occurrence, and each time was worse than the last.

A few months back, after defeating his brother, Sasuke had been attacked by a large group of Sound ninjas. At this point, the sleep-deprived sharingan user had been unsteady on his feet, as he had been on the run for the past two weeks from other assailants. The group he encountered declared that they would carry on the work of the great Orochimaru. Claiming that they would avenge their fallen master, and with nowhere to escape, Sasuke had no choice but to fight. Although clearly outnumbered, the Sharingan user made it out alive, killing each and every one of the Sound nins. However he realised too late that they had released a discrete amount of poison in the air at the start of the fight. It had been a suicide attack. They knew they would be dead either by him or by the poison in the end. Luckily the Uchiha managed to stumble into a nearby town, almost dead on his feet and acquired some medicine that would slower the effects of the poison.

Had he known this battle would take place, he would have taken some before he left his hideout this morning.

" _Perhaps this is for the better",_ Sasuke thought defeatedly.

The last remaining Uchiha was tired. He was truly and utterly, physically and mentally exhausted. He had accomplished his goal to kill his brother, which ultimately brought him no amount of satisfaction and then spent his time wandering around the nations, secret hideout to hideout. Always on the run. A heavy ransom had been placed on his head, meaning he could trust no one and could only stay in one place for a short period of time.

Going back to Konoha had crossed his mind, but left as soon as it came. For almost three years they had not come looking for him. They had moved on. Which surprisingly gave him more satisfaction than killing his brother because he knew he was not good for them. For the rest of his, now shortened, life he would carry around a darkness that he wished not to taint his former teammates with. Their lives were much better off without him in it, he had firmly decided. From then on he never went near the village and avoided anything and anyone that affiliated with that place.

Sakura's piercing green eyes narrowed. Without meaning to, her mind had briefly switched to her medical mode, as she observed his movements carefully. She watched as he unsuccessfully tried to hide the pain he was suddenly experiencing in his chest region.

" _There's something wrong with him. And it's not from this fight",_ her inner medical voice whispered.

When red sharingan eyes met hers, she contemplated. She was curious as to what had happened to the great Uchiha Sasuke to affect him like this.

She opened her mouth and was about to ask. Was about to use her voice for the first time since the beginning of the fight when suddenly he said something that made her stop.

" _Where's Naruto?",_ he blurted.

Sasuke had seen it. Her eyes scanning his body. He knew of her medical abilities, and had to find a way to distract her before she figured out about his condition and recognised his doomed fate. He didn't want, didn't need, anyone's pity. Especially not from her. That was why when he opened her mouth with her questioning eyes, he suddenly asked about their other teammate, part of him still curious as well.

She remained silent.

" _I thought he would be here by now. Surely the dobe wouldn't have let you go on this 'mission' by yourself. Or does he not know?"_ Sasuke continued to contemplate, as the pain in his chest slowly started to die down. He needed to buy more time.

" _You're right. He doesn't know",_ Sakura replied.

Sakura realised then. He didn't know. The bastard didn't know. A newfound anger began to boil inside of her again. Obviously Orochimaru had kept him in the dark very well, and he had probably been too occupied with his revenge to find out even after the snake's death.

A sick part of her found it hilarious. She found it hilarious that Sasuke had yet again found a way to deepen her hatred towards him. She found it hilarious that after all these years, it was finally now, that he questioned the Uzumaki's whereabouts. She found it hilarious that, the great Uchiha Sasuke was asking her about a dead man.

Of course, not a single laugh was let out. The two continued to stare at each other, as both mentally calculated and prepared for their final attack.

" _What happened to you?"_ Sasuke said softly, as he watched her Hyakugou Seal begin to disappear. She was at her limit. This was moment where she would use her final attack.

The Sakura he knew would not be here. In her place should have been Naruto. That, he would understand. The blonde should be standing where she was right now and Sasuke would have faced him head on, and gladly died by his hands. Sakura should have been the one to arrive after Naruto killed him and healed the blonde's injuries, and they both would have gone back home, his own death signifying a happy new start for them.

Sasuke sighed. This was not right. He could not let her kill him. He would not let her carry around the burden of his death. Even though she had the eyes of a killer, he knew that deep inside, the kind and innocent girl that he knew still existed. He knew she was lying about being here on orders. Kakashi wouldn't do that to her. So the guilt of his death would get to her some day and this could affect the relationship of the remaining of Team 7, especially Naruto. After all the things he had already done to her, he did not want her to live with this.

" _Go home Sakura. This is not your fight. Tell Naruto to come find me. I'll gladly end things with him",_ he turned and began to walk away. This was not the longest fight he had been through in his life, but it was definitely one that mentally strained him the most. He walked slowly, his chest still heaving slightly from the pain, staring down at all the blood splattered on the grass, evidence of the longevity of their fight.

" _He's gone"_ she whispered, as her fists shook.

Sasuke stopped.

She could not take it anymore. How dare he walk away now. After all this, he still thought she was not worthy to be killed by him. After all these years, he was walking away from her. Again. And again. And again. He always found some way to break her heart, squash her pride and make her lose control of her emotions.

She glared at the Uchiha crest on his back.

" _Gone?"_ the Uchiha frowned, knowing exactly what she meant.

" _He's dead Sasuke! So you have no choice but to fight me! He's dead. He's not going to come around trying to save you. Of course he tried until the end, but no, you didn't even realise that he was gone! You know he was out looking for you when those bastards got him! So come back here and finish this fight, because you're waiting for a dead… man…"_ Sakura choked and looked up at the sky. As she watched the clouds slowly move by, she felt cold liquid run down her face. Tears streamed down the sides of her face. She didn't care. She would let the bastard see her cry one last time. Today, it would end.

Sasuke's body felt numb. He mind went blank. The pain he felt in his chest was replaced by something greater. Something he knew could not be the affects of any type of poison. It was deeper.

Naruto. Although it had been years, he could still remember the tanned whiskered face clearly.

 _Flashback  
_

 _Sasuke's hand rested on Naruto's shoulder, his face near the other. The Uchiha contemplated his first attack._

" _How can I be Hokage if I can't even save my friend" Naruto whispered._

 _End of flashback_

Sasuke looked up the sky.

The two members of Team 7 looked up the sky, both wandering how the world could be this cruel.

Everything began to make sense for Sasuke. The reason she had come. The reason she fought without the fear of death. The way she looked at him.

Sighing again, he turned around to face her. His froze as he saw her not holding back her glistening tears. Slowly lowering her head, their eyes met yet again. Yet this time, both eyes were clouded with sadness and guilt. As Sakura looked to the side and wiped her cheeks, the Uchiha made up his mind.

Sakura watched as he approached her gripping his katana. She realised his Sharingan was turned off. Obsidian eyes stared back at her with a determined yet tired look.

She quickly gathered chakra in her hands, getting ready to continue the battle once again.

" _Just a few more steps…"_ Sakura thought.

Sasuke brought up his katana, and Sakura was about to raise her right chakra infused fist when suddenly, he stopped.

Just a few feet away from her, he stood still, still looking at her in the eyes with his pitch black eyes. Then, he slowly turned the katana, until the blade in front of her was replaced with the hilt.

" _What are you-"_

" _I'm sorry, Sakura"_ Sasuke's body was exhausted and his voice showed it.

" _Stop"_ Sakura glared. _"I don't need your apology. I didn't come here for this"._

" _I know why you came here"_ he understood it now. He handed the hilt further towards her.

" _If this is what it'll take for you to move on. My life was over since I was five. I chose my path. But you didn't. Your life, and his… was supposed to be different from mine. That's why I left",_ Sasukewas ready. If his death would give her peace, then today would be his last day. He had achieved what he wanted. He had killed his brother. There was nothing left for him in this world. And the way the girl in front of him looked at him proved just that.

" _Stop it…"_ Sakura whispered. This could not be happening. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. He wasn't supposed to care. Every part of her was supposed to hate him, and she was supposed to end his life with a satisfied smile on her face. Yet, as he handed his katana towards her, offering his life for her take so easily, a voice in her told her this was wrong. A voice that sounded oh so familiar. A voice that could be attached to sun-kissed blonde hair and baby blue eyes.

" _Save him Sakura-chan. He needs you and you need him"_ Naruto's voice whispered in her mind.

Sasuke dropped to his knees in front of her, placing the katana on the ground, easy for her to just bend down and grab.

He closed his eyes and whispered, _"It's ok, Sakura. You'll be doing the right thing"._

" _Stop it!"_ Sakura picked up the katana and put it up against his neck.

" _Get up, Sasuke! Get up and fight me! Get up, you coward!"_

Tears clouded Sakura's vision. Why were the heavens doing this to her? Why were they always tormenting her? Why did they take Naruto from her? Why were they making it so hard for her to kill this traitor?

Sasuke remained still with this eyes closed.

" _Get up…"_ , Sakura collapsed, dropping the katana. On her knees, she wept. She let it out. She cried and let out all her grief and sorrow. She cried because of the cruelty of this world. The world that was too unfair on her best friend and childhood love.

Sasuke opened his eyes and watched her with sad eyes. This was the Sakura he knew. The girl who felt too deeply. The girl who was too kind for this harsh world. The girl that loved too much. The girl whose heart he admired, and whose innocence he always wanted to protect.

Once Sakura's tears stopped, she looked back up at Sasuke, who stared back with soft black eyes. What was she supposed to do?

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes turned blood red, the tomoe spinning rapidly. He head turned to his right towards the dark forest.

Sakura followed his vision and saw a cloaked figure walking out of the trees and onto the clearing. Her eyes narrowed.

" _Well… isn't this a heart-warming scene?"_ the hooded man chuckled. Still walking towards them, man slowly reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a very familiar face.

" _Too bad I'll have to cut this reunion short by killing one of you"_

Author's Note

Thank you again to everyone that read my second chapter! Are you guys curious as to who the new guy is? I hope so! Haha. Please let me know if I'm dragging on too much in the story. I would love to know what you guys think so far. Like I said in my first chapter, this is my first story ever, and it really helps me to keep writing when I see how many people are following, reviewing and favouriting the story! That little cliffhanger on the end is going to make me think a lot for the next few days. I will start the new chapter soon and will probably have it up before Friday. I hope everyone has an amazing week!


End file.
